Schizo (1976)
aka Blood of the Undead
Genre: Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller
Country: UK | Director: Pete Walker
Language: English | Subtitles: English (Optional, embedded in Mkv file)
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 1.85:1 | Length: 109mn
Bdrip H264 Mkv – 1908×1080 – 23.976fps – 4.07gb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076670/
Samantha and Alan are getting married, but William Haskins isn’t pleased. He grabs a train south to London and begins shadowing Samantha as she tries to get on with married life. Haskins’ attempts to frighten her drive Samantha to desperation, but she’s having trouble convincing anyone that she’s being stalked. Even her psychiatrist dismisses her concerns as part of her neurosis. As bodies begin turning up, Samantha’s story becomes more believable, and her dark secret from the past begins to reveal itself.
Pete Walker and his loyal scriptwriter David McGillivray were pretty much England’s most controversial duo of filmmakers back in the glorious seventies. Opposite to Hammer’s and Amicus’ successful but politically correct horror movies, these two provided the British (and other) genre fans with provocative and violent films, stuffed with social criticism and obscene undertones. Their movies (“Frightmare”, “House of Whipcord”…) aren’t genius, but at least they always have originality and a handful of effective shock-moments. Same goes for this “Schizo”, which remarkably blends an innovating slasher premise with some of the genre’s oldest and most delightful clichés. Newly married ice-skating champion Samantha is stalked by the frustrated and pitiful lover of her murdered mother.
Even though the the guy makes no real secret of his identity and even though his perpetrating attempts are amateurish, Samantha has great difficulties convincing her entourage she’s in danger. “Schizo” basically is a simplistic horror movie (up till a certain point, at least), but it’s praiseworthy how Walker & McGillivray make efforts to throw in psychological terror twists. The extended fright-scenes are well mounted and the make up effects are quite nasty despite the low budget production values. As usual in Pete Walker’s movies, there’s a twisted and very ingenious shock ending that marvelously illustrates the director’s aversion to political correctness. Highly recommended!
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